By: Wayne Turner and Liz McCaman Taylor
Executive Summary
People who are at risk for HIV can prevent infection by taking a daily medication – Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). However, many cannot access PrEP due to its high cost. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) recognizes that even small investments in preventive screenings and services can yield significant cost savings and improve health outcomes. The ACA requires most health plans to cover certain preventive services and screenings recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) without cost sharing. In these comments to the USPSTF, the National Health Law Program supports efforts underway to make PrEP an “A” recommended service. NHeLP urges USPSTF to broaden criteria for who is consider “at-risk” and identifies potential deficiencies the Task Force’s draft proposal. NHeLP also urges USPSTF to consider needs of survivors of intimate partner violence whose needs often go unaddressed.
